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Thursday, September 30, 2010

While reading some information for my day job I stumbled across mention of the Assistance Dog United Campaign! This is complete news to me as I'm sure it will be to many of you. Below is a short description of campaign taken from their site ( the links and bold face font were my additions):

The Assistance Dog United Campaign (ADUC) is a health and human welfare organization which provides financial assistance to individuals who have the need for an assistance dog but have difficulty in raising the necessary funds and to people and programs whose purpose is to provide assistance dogs to people with disabilities.

The ADUC Board of Directors raises funds for assistance dog placements, for grants to support industry research and development efforts and specific provider program development projects, and for scholarships for individuals attending the Bergin University of Canine Studies in pursuit of an Associate of Science degree in Assistance Dog Education. ADUC's funding for assistance dog placements is unique in that seventy percent of the donations are earmarked as vouchers.

Friday, September 24, 2010

All you Washington State readers don't miss this chance to mingle with candidates and discuss issues important to service dog partners. Disability Community Candidate's Forum

Sponsored by: Seattle Commission for People with disAbilities, Alliance of People with Disabilities, the State Independent Living Council, and the University Heights Community Center Association

Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Time: 6 pm to 9 pm

Place: University Heights Community Center, Room 209

Address: 5031 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Parking: Free on-street or off-street; available in center's south lot from University Way NE.

Access: Available with lift from southern west entrance up to and including 2nd floor; additional free parking available from Brooklyn Ave NE for north lot and accessible entrance. Staff will be available for lift assistance.

Bus lines: Proximate to Metro Bus Routes 70-74 on University Way NE, 66 and 67 on 11th Ave NE, among others.

Notes: All candidates for state legislator in King County are invited. This is a non-partisan event.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

My roommate and I are attempting to live a life less chaotic by doing certain chores and errands on the same day every week. We have been doing our basic house upkeep and shopping schedule for about three weeks now (oops just remembered the load of laundry in the washer), leaving our apartment cleaner and leading us to discover Friday evening wine tasting at our neighborhood Trader Joe's! This week we added Sunday at the Library. I lobbied for Sunday at the library because my roommate and I are avid readers who live on very tight budgets.I read four magazines today including my favorite Bark Magazine. There is a great article, Both Ends of the Leash: Rewards Redux. By Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, on judging how just rewarding the rewards you offer your dog are to your dog at any given moment for any particular behavior. I, certainly, have experienced asking my dog for a behavior and see a look come across that furry face that says, I know what your going to give me, and I think (fill the blank) is way more fun, so uh-uh.This article is not available in the online offerings from Bark this month, so those interested in reading it will have to find a print copy somewhere.
Shiloh had plenty of tasks to keep her busy during our outing including carry my items for me in her backpack, activating four automatic door buttons, and retrieving my dropped cellphone as it slid beneath the checkout counter. So you can imagine my surprise when the rent-a-cop outside the library (yes I said outside, so we were on the public right of way) comes up to us after we have exited the Library comes up to us and says, "I've never seen you before, is that a service dog?" to which I answer, "Yes." And then he says, "Did you need her to conduct your business in the library?" to which I again answered, "Yes." I think someone is misunderstanding the DOJ Business Brief. Not too mention the fact my disability is far from a secret; Shiloh always wears a backpack, vest, to harness of some sort when working in public, no less than a half a dozen people had just watched Shiloh activate the doors so I could exit the library, and I felt harassed because we we had completed our business receiving many compliments from the staff inside the library on the excellence of Shiloh's behavior and appearance while in the library. So much for appropriateness of timing.

The Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) will host an informative webinar on the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), specifically as it relates to flying with service animals. The webinar is being held in collaboration with the ADA National Network (formerly DBTACs).

Learn from industry experts about the following aspects of flying with service animals:

General Tips on air travel with a service animals

Specific issues important to passengers who are blind or visually-impaired, as it relates to their service dogs

Specific issues important to passengers with psychiatric disabilities, as it relates to their service dogs

Primer about ACAA provisions that govern air travel with service animals

Thursday, September 2, 2010

"The Equal Rights Center, in a report released Wednesday morning, said that it conducted 30 tests this year and that in half of them, drivers passed someone with a guide dog to pick up a person who did not have a guide dog. In three of the cases in which the taxi stopped for the blind person, the driver attempted to impose a surcharge for transporting the dog, the Equal Rights Center said."Read More

Pet Health & Safety

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All opinions in expessed in this blog are exclusively those of the author, excluding comments made by readers. Please bring any issues and clarifications of fact to the author's attention. The intention of this blog is to provide resources to those living with and working service dogs and education on issues in the field. All links and contact information are provided purely as resources, no organization listed is responsible in any way for the content posted on this blog. The author is striving for high quality content at all times.